Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Ebola Preparedness Guidelines for responding to patients with suspected Ebola symptoms

Attribution Information for this presentation was taken from the U.S. CDC publication “Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for Management of Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Virus Disease in the United States” which is available at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/interim-guidance-emergency-medical-services-systems-911-public-safety-answering-points-management-patients-known-suspected-united-states.html

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Ebola Preparedness The likelihood of contracting Ebola is extremely low unless a person has direct unprotected contact with the blood or body fluids (like urine, saliva, feces, vomit, sweat, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola or direct handling of bats or nonhuman primates from areas with Ebola outbreaks.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Ebola Preparedness Patients now in the U. S. with Ebola show the importance of a high level of suspicion It is important for responders to question patients about Residence in, or travel to, a country where an Ebola outbreak is occurring. “In the past 21 days, have you been to Africa”? If yes, “Do you have a fever”? Signs and symptoms of Ebola. Having touched someone who is sick with Ebola

Signs and symptoms of Ebola Sudden fever, chills, and muscle aches, with diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain occurring after about 5 days. Chest pain, shortness of breath, headache, or confusion, may also develop Symptoms may become increasingly severe and may include jaundice (yellow skin), severe weight loss, mental confusion, bleeding inside and outside the body, shock, and multi-organ failure

Signs and symptoms of Ebola The incubation period for Ebola, from exposure to when signs or symptoms appear, ranges from 2 to 21 days (most commonly 8-10 days) Any Ebola patient with signs or symptoms should be considered infectious Ebola patients without symptoms are not contagious

Prevention of Ebola during EMS Unlike patient care in the controlled environment of a hospital or other fixed medical facility, EMS patient care before getting to a hospital is provided in an uncontrolled environment. Avoid exposure to blood or body fluids of infected patients through contact with skin, mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth, AND Avoid injuries with contaminated needles or other sharp objects.

EMS Care Address scene safety: If Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) call takers advise that the patient is suspected of having Ebola, EMS personnel should put on the PPE appropriate for suspected cases of Ebola before entering the scene. Keep the patient separated from other persons as much as possible. Use caution when approaching a patient with Ebola. Illness can cause delirium, with erratic behavior that can place EMS personnel at risk of infection, e.g., flailing or staggering.

EMS Care During patient assessment and management, EMS personnel should consider the symptoms of Ebola: Fever of or greater than 38.0 degrees Celsius or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit Severe headache Muscle pain Vomiting Diarrhea Abdominal pain Unexplained hemorrhage

EMS Care If the patient has symptoms of Ebola, ask about risk factors within the past 21 days (3 weeks) before the onset of symptoms Contact with blood or body fluids of a person (living or deceased) known to have or suspected to have Ebola Residence in—or travel to— a country where an Ebola outbreak is occurring Direct handling of bats or nonhuman primates from disease-endemic areas.

EMS Care EMS personnel should notify the receiving healthcare facility when transporting a suspected Ebola patient, so that appropriate infection control precautions may be prepared prior to patient arrival. EMS personnel involved in the air or ground interfacility transfer of patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola should wear recommended PPE

EMS Care An EMS agency managing a suspected Ebola patient should follow these CDC recommendations: Limit activities, especially during transport, that can increase the risk of exposure to infectious material (e.g., airway management, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of needles) Limit the use of needles and other sharps as much as possible. All needles and sharps should be handled with extreme care and disposed in puncture-proof, sealed containers Phlebotomy, procedures, and laboratory testing should be limited to the minimum necessary for essential diagnostic evaluation and medical care Consider barrier protection (e.g., tarps) to protect nonessential equipment from contamination with body fluids.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Use of standard, contact, and droplet precautions is sufficient when treating a patient with a suspected case of Ebola EMS. PPE must be in place BEFORE contact is made with the patient and continued to be worn until personnel are no longer in contact with the patient. Personnel should wear: Gloves (double gloves) Gown (fluid resistant or impermeable) Eye protection (goggles or face shield that fully covers the front and sides of the face) Facemask (N-95 respirator) Additional PPE might be required in certain situations (e.g., large amounts of blood and body fluids present in the environment), including but not limited to double gloving, disposable shoe covers, and leg coverings

Removing (Doffing) PPE: Outer surface of PPE is contaminated! Do not touch. PPE must be carefully removed without contaminating one’s eyes, mucous membranes, or clothing with potentially infectious materials. Use great care when doffing PPE so as not to contaminate yourself (e.g., do not remove your N-95 facemask or eye protection BEFORE you remove your gown). Wash hands frequently, between steps when doffing PPE and after all PPE is removed.

Personal Protective Equipment During pre-hospital resuscitation procedures (intubation, open suctioning of airways, cardiopulmonary resuscitation): In addition to recommended PPE, respiratory protection that is at least as protective as a NIOSH-certified fit-tested N95 filtering facepiece respirator or higher should be worn (instead of a facemask). Additional PPE must be considered for these situations due to the potential increased risk for contact with blood and body fluids including, but not limited to, double gloving, disposable shoe covers, and leg coverings

Personal Protective Equipment Recommended PPE should be used by EMS personnel as follows: PPE should be worn upon entry into the scene and continued to be worn until personnel are no longer in contact with the patient. PPE should be carefully removed without contaminating one’s eyes, mucous membranes, or clothing with potentially infectious materials. PPE should be placed into a medical waste container at the hospital or double bagged and held in a secure location. Re-useable PPE should be cleaned and disinfected according to the manufacturer's reprocessing instructions and EMS agency policies.

Personal Protective Equipment Recommended PPE should be used by EMS personnel as follows: Instructions for putting on and removing PPE have been published online at http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/prevent/ppe.html and http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/ppe-poster.pdf[PDF - 2 pages](http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/ppe-poster.pdf). Hand hygiene should be performed immediately after removal of PPE Based on the presence of symptoms and risk factors, continue to wear appropriate PPE and follow the scene safety guidelines for suspected case of Ebola.

EMS provider contamination If blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions from a patient with suspected Ebola come into direct contact with the EMS provider’s skin or mucous membranes The EMS provider should immediately stop working Wash the affected skin surfaces with soap and water Promptly report exposure to an occupational health provider or supervisor for follow-up

EMS personnel performing environmental cleaning and disinfection Wear recommended PPE. Consider use of additional barriers (e.g., shoe and leg coverings) if needed. Wear face protection (facemask with goggles or face shield) to prevent exposure to blood and body fluids when performing tasks that might generate splashes. Use an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant with a label claim for non-enveloped viruses (norovirus, rotavirus, adenovirus, poliovirus) to disinfect environmental surfaces.

EMS personnel performing environmental cleaning and disinfection Disinfectant should be available in spray bottles or as commercially prepared wipes for use during transport. Spray and wipe clean any surface that becomes potentially contaminated during transport. These surfaces should be immediately sprayed and wiped clean (if using a commercially prepared disinfectant wipe) and the process repeated to limit environmental contamination

Cleaning EMS Transport Vehicles EMS personnel performing cleaning and disinfection should wear recommended PPE Face protection (facemask with goggles or face shield) should be worn since tasks such as liquid waste disposal can generate splashes. Consider use of additional barriers (e.g., rubber boots or shoe and leg coverings) if needed

Cleaning EMS Transport Vehicles Patient-care surfaces (including stretchers, railings, medical equipment control panels, and adjacent flooring, walls and work surfaces) are likely to become contaminated and should be cleaned and disinfected after transport A blood spill or spill of other body fluid or substance (e.g., feces or vomit) should be managed through removal of bulk spill matter, cleaning the site, and then disinfecting the site. For large spills, a chemical disinfectant with sufficient potency is needed to overcome the tendency of proteins in blood and other body substances to neutralize the disinfectant’s active ingredient.

Cleaning EMS Transport Vehicles An EPA-registered hospital disinfectant with label claims for viruses that share some technical similarities to Ebola (such as, norovirus, rotavirus, adenovirus, poliovirus) Instructions for cleaning and decontaminating surfaces or objects soiled with blood or body fluids should be used according to those instructions After the bulk waste is wiped up, the surface should be disinfected as described above

Cleaning EMS Transport Vehicles Disposable (Non-reusable) patient care equipment is recommended for treatment of EBOLA patients. Contaminated reusable patient care equipment should be placed in biohazard bags and labeled for cleaning and disinfection according to agency policies Reusable equipment should be cleaned and disinfected according to manufacturer's instructions by trained personnel wearing correct PPE Avoid contamination of reusable porous surfaces Use only a mattress and pillow with plastic or other covering that fluids cannot get through (impermeable). To reduce exposure among staff to potentially contaminated textiles while laundering, discard all linens, non-fluid-impermeable pillows or mattresses as appropriate

Disposal of Medical Waste The Ebola virus is a Category A infectious substance regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR, 49 C.F.R., Parts 171-180) Any item transported for disposal that is contaminated or suspected of being contaminated with a Category A infectious substance must be packaged and transported in accordance with the HMR regulation. Transport companies must apply to DOT for a special permit Must show transport company employee training, security, and proper packaging Permits are being expedited at DOT

References http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/patient-management-us-hospitals.html(http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/patient-management-us-hospitals.html) http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/case-definition.html(http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/case-definition.html) http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/clinician-information-us-healthcare-settings.html(http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/clinician-information-us-healthcare-settings.html) http://phmsa.dot.gov/portal/site/PHMSA/menuitem.6f23687cf7b00b0f22e4c6962d9c8789/?vgnextoid=4d1800e36b978410VgnVCM100000d2c97898RCRD&vgnextchannel=d248724dd7d6c010VgnVCM10000080e8a8c0RCRD&vgnextfmt=print